Good animal health to boost livestock sector

DOT Desk: Veterinary scientists and researchers in Rajshahi on Friday urged service providers to take livestock related necessary services to the grassroots growers for boosting animal resources, particularly cattle and goat farming, reports The New Age.
They viewed that necessary services like production, primary treatment, deworming, vaccination and farm management should be given priority to boost animal health.
They came up with the observation while conducting a daylong animal health camp at Shah Agriculture Information Library at village Kaligram in Manda upazila of the district.
The Bangladesh Livestock Society arranged the camp in association with Incepta Animal Health.
‘Attaining Soil Health for Safe Food Production and Animal Health for Safe Protein Production for Achieving the Ultimate Goal of Protecting Public health’ was the main theme of the programme.
The Bangladesh Livestock Society president Professor Jalal Uddin Sarder and its general secretary Hemayetul Islam and treasurer Enamul Haque addressed the meeting as focal persons.
Chairman of Better Nature and Society Hasibul Hassan, senior area manager of Incepta Animal Health Mustafizur Rahman and the society’s life member Jahangir Alam Shah also spoke.
Professor Jalal Sarder, also a teacher of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Rajshahi University, stressed the need for uplifting the livestock sector for food security, self-employment and poverty reduction.
He also called for due importance in adopting modern technology, promotion of high yielding varieties and training for farmers to overcome the crisis.
Animal resources could be developed through strengthening economic management and information, specialised knowledge and research were needed, he said.
All concerned should come forward for flourishing the animal resource sector, he said.
The contributions of the livestock sector were immense in terms of meeting up the protein deficiency and socio economic development and there was no alternative to elevating the sector, he added.
He said that large-scale farming of fodder could further develop the livestock sector to contribute immensely in fulfilling the protein deficiency in the country.
More than 100 cattle were vaccinated free of cost to protect them from foot and mouth diseases in the cold-stricken village.